Fungi

Mushrooms and Edible Fungi

How is a fairy ring formed?

Long ago it was believed that the circles of mushrooms that sometimes form in meadows marked the locations where fairies gathered at night to dance. Fairy rings, or fungus rings, are frequently found in grassy areas. The three types of rings are those that do not affect their surrounding vegetation, those that cause increased vegetation growth, and those that damage their surrounding environment. The rings are started from the underground, food-absorbing part of a fungus (mycelium). The fungus growths are circular because a round, inner band of decaying mycelium forms underground. This band uses up the resources present in the soil that is directly above it. When the fungus forms caps that present above ground, the mushrooms grow around the mycelium, creating a ring effect. Each succeeding generation grows further from the center.